A message and a reunion
by Mrs Marcus Volturi
Summary: Melinda Gordon recieves a vist from one red head NCIS Director, and she goes in search of the one named 'Leroy' that the ghost has a message for. For Gibbs, nothing seems worth living for until he realises Jen was hiding something.Can he find closure? R
1. Chapter 1

I know I've posted this before but, I have to change a few things, because I was writng something that fit in with it. And pls review. BTW, this is based on the night that Gibbs burns down Jenny's house.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, only the plot.

He walked through the automatic doors slowly and gingerly, into the cool air of the morgue. It was just past midnight, and the morgue was deathly quiet, all the lights turned off as Ducky had gone home for the night. His chest tightened, as he tried to hold back tears. He had to be sure. Before he put the gun in his mouth, he had to see for himself.

He crossed the room silently, flicking on a single overhead light and as he reached the freezer door, Leroy Jethro Gibbs started to cry softly. He began to open the door, and then stopped, seeing a note taped to number '439'. He tore it off and read it aloud.

"Jethro,

I knew you would come to see her. She should have told you. About everything. Her being sick and how she felt. Among other things. Jethro, I know you are hurting but don't do any thing stupid. Please. You know that if you need to talk, I am here." Signed Ducky.

He sighed, scrunching up the paper, and dropping it onto the floor. He wondered what Ducky meant by 'Among other things', but discarded the thought, and swiftly shutting the door he started to open, proceeded to open '439'.

As he did, he found it hard to breath. With shaking hands he pulled out the draw, and a sob shook through his body as he saw the second love of his life laying on the cold stainless steel, unmoving, his first being Shannon.

Jenny Sheppard. He could see where she had been shot, though the holes had been filled with putty. His fingers brushed across her pale cheek, and he flinched at the coldness under his hand, suddenly making him sick in the stomach.

Jethro took a step back, his hand reaching for the gun on his hip. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He had stopped so many people from taking their lives. He couldn't see why they would. Until Jenny died. She was the last straw in a long line of grievances.

First it was his mum. He never got to say goodbye, and she never knew how much he loved her. After Jethro had yelled at her, blaming her for ruining his life, she had died. Probably of a broken heart.

Next were Kelly and Shannon. They didn't deserve to die. If Shannon hadn't been in the wrong place at the wrong time, they wouldn't be dead. And if Jethro hadn't left to go to Desert storm, they would be alive.

Then it was Pacci. That one was Gibbs fault. If only he had listened to Chris and helped him out, he might…no he _would _be alive.

Kate. No one was to blame for that except Ari. That bastard didn't have a motive for killing her, except to get back at Gibbs.

Now he was alone. No, that's not true. He had Abby, Tim and Ducky. Tony and Ziva weren't part of his team anymore. Director Vance had split them up, sending Ziva to Israel, Tony to the Ronald Reagan. They had been gone far too long.

No one knew of Jethro's plans. Ducky had his suspicions, but couldn't be sure, and Abby just thought he was coping with losing Jenny. She was right in a way, but he was sure she would never pick him as the kind of guy to commit suicide.

He wished Ziva were here. He could always talk to her when things got rough, and she always understood how he felt. She saved his life, yet it was all about to be for nothing.

He looked Jenny over one more time, but before he put the gun in his mouth, he saw something. Jenny's hair was slightly mused revealing a patch of skin on her neck.

There wasn't really a reason he did what he did next, just sort of a hunch he supposed. He took a step forward, gently rolling her head to the side, so he could see her neck more clearly. He looked closer; teary eyes curiously inspecting a small mark.

Jethro jumped back, grabbing hold of a gurney, trying to steady himself. NO, he thought. This can't be real.

What he had seen was a small love heart tattoo, inked onto her neck, just behind her ear. The exact tattoo that he had seen for so many years on his dead wife Shannon, on that exact same spot. Inscribed in elegant letters were the words Kelly + Jethro.

There was no doubt in his mind, nor no possible logic way, that the body in front of him was Shannon.

Abby slipped into her black coat, her mind


	2. the first contact

Not for the first time in the past 2 nights, Melinda Gordon found herself waking up in a sweat, shaking at the fear that she had witnessed in the dream. It was the work of a ghost. Of that she was sure, but she was getting fed up that the ghost wouldn't show herself. All it showed her was the last moment of the woman's life, until she met a painful and slow death.

_She was ready for them as they ran through the old diner doors, guns a blazing, and she managed to take the first one out without any hassle. The next one got her in the shoulder, but none the less, she kept going, firing the gun in her hand, taking out as many shooters as she could. She was hit again, this time the bullets of the automatic weapons piercing her stomach painfully. She heard gunfire out side, as the last man fell. She lay on the cold linoleum floor, feeling herself slipping away from the world, angry that she would never get to tell him how she felt. With her last breath, she whispered his name, wishing he could hear her._

Melinda shook her head of the dream, and slipped out of bed quietly, trying not to wake her husband. Sleepily, she made her way to the kitchen, brewing herself a cup of coffee, while her laptop booted up. If the ghost wasn't going to show herself, then Melinda decided that she would dig up some information on her. Although she didn't have a lot to go with. All that she knew was that the woman had been taught how to fire a gun, and that she loved a man named Jethro. That didn't help her at all. Just as she sat down at the table, her coffee in hand, a woman appeared beside her, her green shirt stained with blood, and torn by bullets. She had red shoulder length that was pulled into a bun at the back of her head, her blue eyes sad, and filled with pain. Melinda recognised her from somewhere.

"I need him to know." The woman said.

Melinda stood up. "Jethro? What does he need to know? Who are you?"

"My name is Jenny Sheppard." That's when she knew where she had seen her before. Melinda had watched the news a few nights back. Apparently, Jenny Sheppard was the director of NCIS, and had died in her house when it burnt down. That didn't explain the dreams of her dying in the diner.

"I need you to tell him. Please." With that she was gone, and Melinda sat back down in her chair. Well, at least now she had a name and a face. Logging on, Melinda opened an Internet browser, before typing in the name Jenny Sheppard into Google search. What she got wasn't a lot.

This is what she learnt.

Jenny, born Jennifer was the first female director of an armed federal agency. She had served as an agent in NCIS for 10 years before that.

Her father was navy Corporal Jasper Sheppard, who committed suicide in 1999, in the family home in DC.

Her mother wasn't listed. In fact, it seemed that before 1994 Jennifer Sheppard ceased to exist.

Frowning in confusion, Melinda sat back, letting out a sigh of frustration. Jim's arms snaked around her shoulders and she smiled.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I just got a visit form that ghost who's been hounding me. She hasn't got a past, from before 1994. And she wants me to give a man named 'Jethro' a message."

"What is the message?"

"I don't know. She wouldn't say, but I need to find this Jethro figure, so that she can cross over."

Looking back at the laptop, she saw something else. A name. L.. J for Jethro? It was possible. Melinda read further down and discovered that Gibbs was Jenny's team leader when she was an agent, and that they did many undercover operations together.

Jim was reading also, and when he suggested he help her pack, Melinda knew what he was talking about. Gibbs lived in DC, so that's where she would start.

A/N: Okay, so do you like it or not? let me know pls


	3. Long time no see

A hint of McAbby, possibly a mention of Tiva later on. Please review. Oh by the way, I don't own NCIS, or Ghost whisperer. This has not been Beta'd so any mistakes are mine.

It was 9 pm by the time Melinda Gordon got to Washington DC. She was sore, lonely, and in bad need of a decent coffee, but first she decided to find a place to sleep. Pulling into the car park of a gas station, she dialled the number of a friend she hadn't talked to in almost 11 years, but she hoped still lived in DC.

The call was answered after 2 rings.

"Hello?"

"Abby, it's Melinda. Melinda Gordon?"

"OH MY GOD! Mel, how are you?" the bubbly Goth all but squealed over the phone, causing Melinda to realise just how much she missed her friend. It had been too long.

"I'm great. Happily married, though still struggling with my gift." Abby knew every secret about Melinda, including that she saw dead people. "Listen, I'm in Washington and…"

"Stay with me!" Abby cut her off. "Don't argue with me, just do it and then you can tell me all about the lucky man, and I can scorch you for not inviting me to the wedding."

Melinda smiled, finding that she had been worried Abby had changed since they last spoke, but she was relieved she hadn't.

"Okay. Give me the address, and I'll be there soon. Thanks Abby. I really appreciate this."

"Don't mention it." She gave Melinda the address then hung up.

20 minutes later, Melinda parked in Abby's driveway, grabbing her night bag from the back seat, and walking through the halls until she found Abby's door. She was about to knock, when it opened to a tall, blonde man in a suit shirt and trousers, holding a bag of a bag of garbage. He looked startled when he saw her.

"Um hi. I'm looking for Abby Sciuto?"

"Oh, right. HI, I'm Tim McGee. You must be Melinda." He held out his hand, before realising that he had garbage in it and dropped it again. "She is in side, if you want to go in."

"Thanks." She smiled, stepping into the apartment. She was immediately engulfed in a chest-crushing hug, Abby clinging on to her friend as if she were a stuffed teddy.

"Abby!"

"Melinda!" Both squealed, laughing, as they pulled away to see each other. Neither had really changed since they last saw each other, 11 years ago, though Melinda saw sadness in Abby's eyes. She tucked that away for later.

McGee walked back in, looking between the two women, curiously.

"Coffee?" McGee asked, squeezing past them in the hall.

"That would be great. Thank-you."

They sat on the couch later, drinking their beverages, as Melinda explained how she and Jim met, and married him. Abby was delighted, even if she did miss the wedding.

"So what are you doing in DC?" McGee finally asked.

Melinda sent a questioning glance to Abby, silently asking if she had told him about the ghost ordeal. Abby shook her head, but indicated she could tell him if she wanted to. That and she were curious to know why Melinda had driven all this way, from Grandview.

Briefly, Melinda described her gift, and the ghost who had recently contacted her, leaving out names, of course. McGee seemed surprised, but not all that sceptical.

"And now, I'm in Washington because I need to deliver a message to a man for the ghost."

Abby smiled. She never got tired of hearing Melinda's tales of her Ghost helping. She had always believed in the supernatural. Even more so when she learnt of her friends power.

"Well, whoever this ghost is, I'm glad she led you to DC." Abby smiled, sipping her cold coffee.

"Enough about me. What are you doing with yourself now?" Melinda asked.

"I work for NCIS. So does McGee. I'm their forensic specialist. I'm pretty much the reason why McGee still has a job."

Melinda realised that she was facing one hell of a coincidence. The ghost she was contacted by was the director of NCIS. That would explain the sadness in Abby's eyes. She had lost a friend. And Melinda was betting that Abby knew who L. was too. She wondered whether she should tell her.

McGee scoffed, laughing, as he got up, taking each cup to the kitchen for a refill.

Abby noticed Melinda go quiet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It's just that, well the ghost I'm talking to was a well known agent where you work."

If possible, Abby's face paled. Honestly, she didn't know whom to expect. Could it be Kate? Pacci? Patterson? She almost forgot Jenny. It still hadn't sunk in yet.

"Who?" she didn't realise her voice was shaking until McGee put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

Melinda looked at her feet. It was hard seeing her friend like this, and it wuld be even harder when she knew.

Meeting Abby's gaze, Melinda told her. Abby looked sad, remembering the after math of Jenny's death. Tony was gone, so was Ziva. McGee worked for cyber crimes, and Gibbs' new team…. well she didn't like them.

McGee shook his head, amazed. How much of a fluke was it that Jenny contacted Melinda who happened to be one of Abby's close friends?

"I'm supposed to give the message to a man named 'Jethro'. I was hoping to talk to Agent Gibbs tomorrow to see if he knew the man."

Abby laughed, but there was no humour in her voice.

"He should know him. Considering the 'J' in his name is Jethro."

"We can take you to see him tomorrow." McGee offered, massaging Abby's shoulders. "But for now, why don't we all get some sleep."

Abby handed Melinda a few soft blankets and pillows, that she could set up on the couch, then her and McGee went to bed, leaving Melinda alone in the darkness, wondering what the talk with Jethro would turn out to be, as she fell into a deep sleep.


	4. the surprises just keep coming

Leroy Jethro Gibbs slammed his keyboard down onto his desk in anger, causing agents around him to walk faster. Not that there were a lot of agents in the building at 5:30 in the morning. On his screen were a number of files, all of which he couldn't access. Like Jenny's personnel file. It had been sealed, and Gibbs had no idea how to open it without McGee. But of course, McGee couldn't know what Gibbs was doing. He wouldn't drag his agent into his personal problems, even if they did involve Jenny. When he found out about her double identity, he went straight to Ducky.

_He stormed into the man's home, slamming the door behind him. Ducky appeared at the doorway, and he knew as soon as he saw Jethro's face, that he had figured it out. _

"_Jethro…"_

"_When were you going to tell me?" his voice was like razor blades, making Ducky flinch. He knew this was coming. He had known since Jenny told him after Gibbs had been blown up, and in a coma. It had been a difficult time, for everyone, but her the most. _

"_I was waiting for her to tell you herself, Jethro."_

"_You're my friend, Ducky. Friends don't keep secrets from each other."_

"_Well then why didn't you tell me about Kelly and Shannon?"_

"_Because I thought they were dead. It was in the past. How was I supposed to know that Jenny was in fact, my first wife? All these years I grieved over Shannon. Yet, all along she was alive. She was my partner, Duck." His voice was trembling now, and he fell to his knees. _

"_And let me guess, you're going to tell me that Kelly's not dead either."_

_Ducky made his way over to his friend, crouching beside him. _

"_She…no. She's not dead."_

Those words echoed, and Jethro shook his head free of them. Ducky hadn't been able to tell him where she was, but he was sure she was safe. Jenny-Shannon- would have made sure of it. Gibbs sighed, straightening his keyboard, and typing in another name to the NCIS database. Kelly Gibbs. The only records were the newspaper articles. The report was sealed, just like everything else. Damn it. He got to his feet and heading towards the new directors office, Abby stepped in front of him. A woman stood behind her, brown hair in curls framing her face, and dressed in a simple white knee length dress. Their eyes met, and Jethro saw that she was anxious. Anxious about what?

"Gibbs, this is my friend Melinda Gordon. She…we need to talk." Abby said quietly, lacking her usual bubbly-ness.

"Actually, I was about to go see Vance…"

"Now, Gibbs."

Gibbs gave her a weird look, but led both women to the conference room, not knowing what to expect. Melinda looked as if she was thinking the same thing.

Once in the room, Gibbs offered her a coffee and she politely accepted, sitting at one of the chairs situated around a long table. Abby paced the room, silently wishing that McGee were here to comfort her. Gibbs handed Melinda the drink, before grabbing Abby gently by the shoulders and guiding her to a chair. She dropped into it heavily, tugging at one of her black ponytails.

"Agent Gibbs, the reason I requested to talk to you, was because…" Melinda looked at Abby, who only nodded in encouragement, "I have a message for you."

His face didn't change, but his eyes did, Abby noted. They looked softer somehow. And tired. Like he was tired of life.

"What kind of message?"

She hesitated. "Do you believe in ghosts agent Gibbs?"

Jethro held her gaze, for a long moment, before Melinda looked away.

"Yes, to a certain extent."

His answer surprised Abby and her guest. Neither had seen that coming.

"Well, I'm one of few people who can see them. The ones who haven't crossed over yet."

Gibbs nodded, looking briefly at Abby.

"Several days ago, I was contacted by a ghost, who claimed to be Jenny Sheppard. Director of NCIS, until recently." As if on cue, she appeared by Jethro.

Melinda saw his breath catch, and he grew tense. He was obviously such a calm, collected person, yet at the mention of her name, his mask slipped away.

"In fact, she's here right now."

He looked around hastily. There were so many things he wanted to ask her. So many things he wanted to know.

"Jenny…" he hesitated. He didn't know what to call her now that he knew about her double identity. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jenny frowned, unsure of what he was talking about. Her sickness? Her feelings for him? There was no way he could know about the other thing…could he?

"Why didn't you tell me that you and Kelly were alive, all those years?"

Abby's eyes widened in shock. 'You and Kelly?' Did he mean Jenny was…no, it was impossible.

Jenny/Shannon, Melinda noted, had a similar look on her face. Abby had given her a brief run down of Gibbs past, including his first wife and daughter being killed in a car accident.

"I…my god, Jethro. You knew?" Jenny's voice shook, and she placed her hand on his cheek. Jethro looked up, startled.

"I just…" he looked at Melinda, "I just heard her speak."

A/N: Cliff hangers…hehe. The next chapter will probably be the last, as I'm not getting a lot of feedback. I've enjoyed writing it so far and I thank those people who have shown an interest.


	5. Reunions

**A/N: Okay, so this is the last chapter of this story, and I like it. While I was writing this I came up with a possible story line to a sequel, so that may appear soon. Please review this story.**

**Thankyou everyone who read this and who reviewed. You are awesome, all of you. :) babyred **

Previously: _"I…my god, Jethro. You knew?" Jenny's voice shook, and she placed her hand on his cheek. Jethro looked up, startled. _

"_I just…" he looked at Melinda, "I just heard her speak."_

"What do you mean?" Melinda sat up straighter in her chair, glancing at the ghost of Jenny Sheppard.

"Jethro, can you…can you hear me?" her voice shook.

"Yeah Jen…Shannon. I…Is that really you?"

Abby stared at Gibbs in disbelief. Could he really hear ghosts? And if so, how? She only knew of one person who could contact the dead, and even then, Melinda had known about her gift since she was a young girl.

Melinda found herself curious about this man. The only person who she had ever met who could hear ghosts was Eli, and that was because he had died briefly. Was it possible that Gibbs could hear them because he had died and then been brought back to life?

"I'm so sorry that I never told you. I was so scared that if you found out you would…I didn't know how you would react." Jenny looked at her lover with tears in her eyes.

"I deserved to know! All those years I grieved over you two, you and Kelly, and now I find out you're both still alive! It's not fair, Shannon." It had been so long since had said that voice, so long since he had touched his wife's face, but apparently not as long as he thought. He and Jenny had just started working things out between them again, when she had been killed.

"I know, Jethro."

He took a deep breath to calm himself, feeling tears burn behind his lids. Everything was becoming clear now. All the pieces of the puzzle were falling together.

The not so subtle glance upstairs at Jenny's house when she was looking after the boy while they searched for his father. Jethro could see now that she wasn't just worried about the boy, but Kelly was probably up there and he hadn't even known.

And the weird look on Jenny's face when she had seen Gibbs with Maddie Tyler. He had thought it just curiosity at the time, but looking back he saw recognition in her eyes, like she knew who Maddie was.

All of it made perfect sense now.

"Agent Gibbs, excuse me for asking, but have you…" Melinda hesitated, "have you died briefly? I mean, physically died?"

Jethro looked up at the guest, confusion written all over his face, then sudden realisation.

"Yeah…I…" he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. "About a month and a half ago, I drowned." The memory lingered on his words, the darkness surrounding him, trying to pull him closer to it. Then Kelly and Shannon's faces had appeared, his daughter begging with him to go back.

Abby had read the reports, and she remembered the shock she had felt on reading the words 'Agent Gibbs could not be resuscitated, so I [Anthony DiNozzo] moved my attempts to Maddie Tyler.' She had read on to where Gibbs had taken a breath, and came back to life.

"I need you to look after them, Jethro, Kelly and your granddaughter. They haven't got anyone left except you." Shannon kissed Gibbs' forehead lightly, and he shook his head.

"My granddaughter?"

**2 days later**

Jethro took a long swig of his 'Starbucks' coffee, before setting it down on the table in front of him. He had come this far, worked this hard to find her; he was not giving up now.

A woman sat down across from him, hands clenched in fists around her handbag.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" her voice quivered, and Gibbs looked up at the red head. Although 18 years had passed, she had barely changed. Her hair had been cut, and there were slight bags under her eyes, but Gibbs immediately recognised her.

He pushed out of his chair, wrapping his arms around her waist, and holding her sobbing body to his. For several moments, neither moved, until Gibbs pulled back and brushed hair from the familiar blue eyes of his daughter.

"This is really you, Kelly? I'm not dreaming?"

"No, daddy. This is real," her voice sounded so small.

They sat back down and started to talk, as if there had been no time gone by.

"I go by Grace now." Kelly stated dabbing her tears away with a tissue her father had handed her.

Jethro smiled.

"Your middle name." He said.

"You mothers name," Kelly smiled back.

"I have so many questions, Kel. I don't know where to begin."

So instead she started to explain. She and her mother had been in the car accident that Jethro had believed had taken their lives.

"Agent Franks had put us into witness protection, changing our names and identities. And before you get angry with him dad, he saved us. I was in a bad way after the accident, and he got us help."

"But how did I not know Jenny was your mother? I'm supposed to know these things."

"I think in your subconscious, you did." Kelly explained. "After he put us into witness protection, Mike knew that it was risky anywhere we went because someone would recognise mum from the newspaper photos, so he payed for her to have plastic surgery. She was reluctant at first, but she still believed we were in danger from the drug dealer, so she agreed. That's how Jennifer Sheppard came to exist, and Grace Sheppard was her niece."  
Gibbs stared at his cold coffee, left abandoned on the table in front of him.

Reaching into his pocket, he took out his wallet and produced a photograph, handing it to her. Kelly studied the picture of her and her best friend.

"I got this from Maddie. She told me all about your time capsule that you made and how you buried it in our garden."  
Kelly smiled at the picture, wiping away a stray tear with her sleeve.

"How is she? I mean, what is she doing with herself now?"

"She is a student studying science. She is planning to be a vet specialising in horses."

Kelly laughed briefly.

"Of course she is."

They fell into a comfortable silence, Jethro's eyes plastered on his daughter. She had a striking resemblance to the young woman that had appeared on the plasma when McGee thought it fun to see what Jenny and Gibbs' children would look like.

He shook his head. The clues had been in front of him the whole time, yet he couldn't see them.

"Kelly…I mean 'Grace', where is my granddaughter?"

Kelly looked up, startled. How did he know about that? But she decided, it didn't matter. He knew now and that was all that mattered.

"She is with one of mum's friends, Hannah, at the moment. We are staying with her until I can find a place to stay. She is to meet me here in 5 minutes, if you want to meet you grandchild."

Gibbs looked at her nervously. Of course he wanted to meet her, but he was still trying to get his head around his daughter being alive, little own being a grandfather.

"Yeah."

As if on cue, a tall blonde pushing a pram occupied by a small red head toddler approached the table.

Kelly stood, hugging the woman briefly, and then turned, picking up the child. Jethro got to his feet, his heart beating wildly.

"Dad, this is Lillian." Kelly stepped towards her father, the wriggling red head in her arms. He took his granddaughter, and studied her with an uncontrollable smile. Lillian looked so much like her mother had when she had been young, with a just-below-ear length crop of red hair and a light sprinkle of freckles on her nose.

After saying goodbye to Hannah, Kelly sat down again across from her father.

Gibbs rested Lillian on his knee, and she smiled as she tugged at his grey hair.

"Who's the father?"

"A good marine. His name is Felix Hammond. We are planning to be married in November."

Gibbs just nodded.

"She is three years old in a month, but I'm afraid I won't be able to give her the party she wants."

"What about Felix? Why can't you stay with him?"

"He's in Iraq at the moment, but he promised that this is his last tour. He wants to be there for us, especially when the new baby is born."  
That hit Gibbs in the face mentally.

"Your pregnant?"

Kelly nodded, a smile crossing her face.

"Mummy?" Lillian glanced around, reaching across the table.

Gibbs passed the toddler to her mother, and Lillian snuggled into Kelly's shoulder.

"Kel, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I put my job in front of you and your mother. I shouldn't have. I could have…no should have given up the corps when you were born."

"Then you wouldn't have been happy."

"I would have been happy with you and Shannon, even if I wasn't a marine anymore. At least I would've had you."

"I don't blame you for what happened. You shouldn't either."

"So it's decided then. You are staying with me until you get back on your feet. Don't even think of arguing about it either." Gibbs said. HE had realised that he had missed almost 20 years of his daughters' life, 3 of his granddaughters and he wasn't going to miss any more.

Kelly smiled, hugging her father across the table.

It was going to be a while until things were back to normal, but neither Jethro nor Kelly was about to give up on it.

"Let's go home."

"Where is home?" Kelly asked, slinging the baby bag over her shoulder.

Gibbs just smiled, leading his family out of the café.

End

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